ted man's bleeding
lips.

"I'll let you up when ..."

"Oh, ooooh!" came a startled, terrified cry from above him. Donald
lifted his eyes, and saw Rose standing on the bank where he had stood.

For an instant he remained as though turned to stone, staring at the
girl with growing dismay. Finally he got slowly to his feet,
instinctively gave partial aid to Judd as he too struggled up, his
burning eyes also fixed on Smiles. It seemed as though the two
dishevelled, dirt-covered and bleeding men typified the brute in nature,
and stood arraigned there before the spirit of divine justice, for the
slender girl's white dress, and no less white face, against the
background of dark green, made her appear almost like an ethereal being.

Her breast was rising and falling rapidly as was indicated by the
palpitating movement of her hand pressed close against it; her lips were
parted and her large, shadowy eyes filled with uncomprehending fear and
pain.

"What ... what do hit mean?" she whispered.

As Judd made no answer Donald finally succeeded in summoning up an
unnatural laugh and lied reassuringly, "It ... it isn't anything
serious, Smiles. Judd and I got into a dispute over ... over which was
the better wrestler, and I have been showing him a few city tricks."

"Thet air a lie!" The mountaineer's words lashed out like a physical
blow, and the crimson flamed into the other's cheeks--and those of
Smiles as well.

"Hit air er lie," he repeated with a rasping voice, as he dashed the
blood and dirt from his lips. "We war fightin' ter kill, an' I reckon
yo' kin guess what hit war erbout," he added, flinging the last words up
at the girl.

Once again Donald attempted to save her still greater distress by a
white lie. "I chanced to stumble on his hidden still, Smiles, and he
thought that I would betray him."

"Oh, Juddy," cried the girl wringing her hands, "I've been erfeerin'
this. In course I knowed erbout hit, fer yo' showed me the still
yerself, but I've been worryin', and hit war ter warn ye ... ter beg ye
ter quit fer leetle Lou's sake erfore hit war too late thet I came. Yo'
must quit, oh _please_, Judd." In her eagerness she ran down the bank
and toward him. "_I_ knows thet Doctor Mac wouldn't tell, but hit's a
warnin'."

As though hypnotized, Judd gazed into her pleading face, with his
passion for her overwhelming that other one, which had so short a time
before swayed him. He stepped to meet her with a gesture of